We look at GTA 5 - Rockstar's latest crime opus - with a smash-and grab of all the latest PS4, Xbox One, trailer, rumours and release date news
First up, if you've been living under a rock, here's the full gameplay trailer for GTA V which gives you a great overview of just how fantastic Rockstar's latest crime spree is shaping up:
GTA ONLINE
Rockstar has just unveiled the online multiplayer component of GTA 5 in the form of GTA Online. There's no '5' in that name, with Rockstar stressing that this mode will transcend the new game and sit alongside further iterations of the series, expanding over the next few years. It looks massive and ambitious too, which explains why Rockstar is a little too busy to be worrying about next-gen and PC versions of the single-player game at present.
GTA Online will actually be launched a couple of weeks after the initial game is launched. Whether this is for development reasons or just to give players the chance to get stuck into the single-player game before distracting them away into multiplayer is hard to say. It's not an add-on though and will be free for all GTA 5 owners - though future DLC is practically assured.
There's no '5' here, GTA Online is the start of something bigger
The online component looks to take in everything the main game offers, and more. The huge game world is there, you can freely explore this with friends and take on new missions, which are unlocked as you gain 'reputation' from completing tasks. You'll also gain cash to spend on character customisations, weapons and vehicles, even apartments can be bought to hang out in.
As well as multiplayer missions against AI opponents, such as bank heists, there's also head-to-head shootouts, street racing (or plane or boat racing if you prefer) and you can compete with friends in the other activities, such as golf and tennis. You can even set up your own missions, placing weapons, vehicles and checkpoints.
With up to 16 players in a single world this isn't the GTA MMO that many have dreamed of, but it's plenty of people to cause chaos.
RELEASE DATE
Originally set for March, Rockstar put back the GTA V release date to September. This is pretty disappointing for anyone who was waiting for the game, and many fans showed there dislike of the move but complaining vehemently - to no effect of course. Rockstar were accused of moving the date so as not to collide with publisher-stablemate Biosock Infinite; however, the developer simply claims that GTA 5 wasn't ready for launch at this time.
One silver lining of the delay is that Rockstar gave a precise date for the release - September the 17th. Now that's a Tuesday, which is the traditional day for game releases in the US. Given it's such a huge title we'd expect UK retailers to also launch on the Tuesday (as they did with Black Ops 2) rather than a traditional Friday release. So September the 17th it is.
Sadly, not the release date anymore
GTA 5 - PS4, XBOX ONE AND PC
At present GTA 5 has only been announced on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. However, the September release date means that GTA 5 should launch a couple of months before the next-generation consoles. This begs the question of when the game will be available on the PS4 and Xbox One. At present Rockstar has said nothing about these new platforms, so we doubt that we'll see next-gen versions, or a PC version, this year.
It's not surprising really, as sales on Xbox 360 and PS3 will hugely outweigh those on the new consoles, with some 150m such consoles sold to date. By comparison the next-gen consoles, and even the PC, will be relatively small fry.
Our best guess is that Rockstar will turn its attention to such platforms after the initial console versions are out the door. it'll be hoping that many of those who play the initial release, will be enthused enough to pick up a next-gen copy too when it's released.
On the plus side, the extra development should ensure that prettied-up, next-gen versions of GTA 5 look as stunning as you'd hope. Even if the game looked largely the same, but ran at 60fps in 1080p with a huge draw distance, we'd be clamouring for the upgrade. 3D is also an option of course.
For more information on the next-gen console releases, see our PS4 release date, specs & price rumours and Xbox 720 release date, specs & price rumours for more details.
MICHAEL, FRANKLIN AND TREVOR TOO
GTA 5 has a trio of main playable characters. increasing the number of core characters in the game is a great idea, as GTA 4 suffered from having to fit one character to too numerous dramatic roles - you had to believe that Niko Bellic would worry over killing one man, one minute and then go on a killing rampage the next; that he cared about friends and girlfriends, but was also a moody loner.
The three new characters - ex-gangster Michael, his psycho former partner Trevor, and young repo man Franklin - allow for a far greater variety of missions. And hopefully a far better narrative, with a small cast of key characters - think a good HBO show, rather than a star-led Hollywood movie.
In between missions you'll be able to switch characters freely to explore and undertake non-character specific tasks. The dating is gone, thank god, but activities include triathlons, Jet Skiing, base-jumping, tennis, golf and scuba diving - with a fully-detailed ocean floor for the latter.
TRAILERS
There have been two other trailers to date for GTA 5. You can watch both (again) below. Both trailers have sky-high production values, with excellent soundtracks and voice acting, and it looks like Rockstar have once again raised the bar for games in these departments.
NEWS
We've heard recently that not all three characters will be playable from the start of the game, with them being introduced gradually as the narrative develops. You can read more about this at GTA 5's three main characters won't all be playable from the start. It's hardly surprising as dropping all three characters on you from the off would be confusing, given the early parts of the game will be part tutorial and heavy on cinematic bluster, plus it would squander the opportunity to introduce them dramatically.
RUMOURS AND GAMEPLAY
There's little hard information available on GTA 5's gameplay beyond what we've seen in the trailers. Of course, it's a GTA game so we can expect the usual blend of driving, shooting and missions, along with the various aforementioned activities.
A long list of cars and other vehicles was discovered in the game code for Max Payne 3. You can find a full list at www.gtaforums.com.
Other gameplay nuggets include:
- A gameworld that's bigger than anything Rockstar has done before.
- Apparently the characters will work together in some missions, and you'll be able to switch between them to undertake different roles. Those switches look to be pre-determined, as a away of cutting out having to travel from one piece of action and the next, for high-octane continuous thrills.
- When you're not controlling them they'll go about their day-to-day business on their own - which may not be as mundane as you might first imagine.
Plenty to get exited about then, and we'll be updating this article as we get closer to the release date.
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